connotation

noun con·no·ta·tion \ ˌkä-nə-ˈtā-shən \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: connotation in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?

Definition of connotation

1 a : something suggested by a word or thing : implication

the connotations of comfort that surrounded that old chair

b : the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes

2 : the signification of something

… that abuse of logic which consists in moving counters about as if they were known entities with a fixed connotation.
—William Ralph Inge

3 : an essential property or group of properties of a thing named by a term in logic — compare denotation

—

connotational

play \ˌkä-nə-ˈtā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See connotation defined for English-language learners

See connotation defined for kids

Examples of connotation in a Sentence

Miuccia Prada, a connoisseur of vintage jewelry, has a collection of tiaras and subverts their formal connotations by wearing them for the day. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, March 1997
Suddenly, Hsun-ching brightened. "So this is propaganda?" Alison did not know that, in Chinese, the word for propaganda literally means to spread information, and does not carry any negative connotations. —Mark Salzman, The Laughing Sutra, 1991
The word "evolution," with its connotation of unrolling, of progressive development, was not favored by Darwin; he preferred the bleak phrase "descent with modification" for his theory. —John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 1985
a word with negative connotations
For many people, the word “fat” has negative connotations.
The word “childlike” has connotations of innocence.

Recent Examples of connotation from the Web

That perception is vaguely foreboding; whether the context is the KKK, Trayvon Martin or slang, the word carries a negative connotation.

— emiene wright, charlotteobserver, "‘BLACK BLOODED’: An exhibition that’s ‘undeniably, unapologetically black’," 14 June 2018
The animal is distressed, possibly domesticated as indicated by the presence of a leather collar, with the cape being a force that is magical yet dangerous, evoking connotations of Little Red Riding Hood or Dracula.

— james charisma, latimes.com, "The hyper-real world of sculptor Erick Swenson comes to life at Honolulu museum," 4 June 2018
The injury lacked the sinister connotations of soreness in the elbow or shoulder.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers' rotation hit with another injury in loss to Phillies 6-1," 30 May 2018
There’s a connotation that Salazar is the puppet master who prizes performance above all else, including the well-being of the athletes in his charge.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Galen Rupp Is Hard to Love," 17 May 2018
Orlando City is not nearly good enough or composed enough to carry that connotation.

— mike bianchi, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City, Atlanta United can’t be called rivals until Lions catch up," 13 May 2018
Allegedly, but less significantly perhaps, it was also bought in to amend the term 'Sudden Death', which was perceived to have negative connotations.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 5 Weeks to Go - Should the Golden Goal Rule Be Brought Back?," 17 May 2018
At least 25% of the ads centered on issues involving crime and policing, often with a racial connotation.

— nick penzenstadler, brad heath, jessica guynn, USA TODAY, "We read every one of the 3,517 Facebook ads bought by Russians. Their dominant strategy: Sowing racial discord," 11 May 2018
More than 12 years later, that offhand remark carries a new, more disturbing connotation.

— tara duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, "New allegations suggest Oakland chef Charlie Hallowell was long aware of harassment charges," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'connotation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?

Connotation and denotation are easily confused, and the fact that neither word is particularly common in everyday use makes it difficult for many people to get a firm grip on the difference between them. While each of these two words has several possible meanings, they are notably distinct from each other in all senses. Denotation is concerned with explicit meaning, and connotation tends to be concerned with implicit meaning. The word home, for instance, has a denotation of “the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives,” but it may additionally have many connotations (such as “warmth,” “security,” or “childhood”) for some people.